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Book__C^__Lr_. 



1) 



MEMOIR 



GEORGE P. CAMMANN, M.D., 



READ BEFORE THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF 
MEDICINE, OCTOBER 21st, 1863. 



JAMES R. LEAMING, M. D. 




BOSTON: 
E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY. 

1864. 






Cambridge, 31a s s. .- 
printed at the riyerside press 

BY H. O. HOUGHTON. 



6&!@ 



13^5.5^ 



MEMOIR. 



rFHE father of the subject of this Memoir, Charles 
Louis Cammann, was a native of the kingdom of 
Hanover, and emigrating to America in 1787, soon 
became a leading merchant in New York. In 1791 
he married Maria Margaretta, daughter of Philip Os- 
wald, also a native of Germany, although the daughter 
was born in this city. 

George Philip Cammann, third son of the above, was 
born September 7th, 1804, on the banks of the Hudson, 
in what was then known as Greenwich Village, near 
the present line of Charlton Street. 

Their beautiful suburban residence was in the imme- 
diate vicinity of Richmond Hill, of historic interest as 
the headquarters of Washington during a part of the 
time the Revolutionary army occupied New York. 

On the 5th of December, 1805, when George was a 
little more than a year old, his father died, and left the 
care of a family of seven children to his widow. How 



well she fulfilled her duty may be inferred from the 
honorable positions held by her children, as well as 
from their devoted affection for her during her whole 
life. In 1813, Mrs. Cammann removed with her family 
to Newark, N. J., and placed George in the Latin School 
of the Newark Academy. 

A companion of his childhood thus writes of him at 
this period : u He was a lively, active boy, always busy 
and very mischievous ; ever ' slow to wrath,' but very 
affectionate, and so sensitive that, even when quite a large 
boy, a hasty or harsh word would bring tears into his 
eyes ; and yet he was patient and uncomplaining when 
suffering physical pain." An anecdote illustrating his 
fortitude is related of him. While fishing near a bridge, 
he ran a fish-hook into his lip, and went to the family 
physician and had it cut out, fainting three times during 
the operation. He concealed the occurrence from the 
family at home, although his lip was so much swollen 
and so painful that he nearly starved from inability 
to eat. It would ever have remained a secret, had 
not the physician alluded to it some time afterwards. 
The same unselfish heroism made him in after-life a 
" silent sufferer rather than mar the happiness of his 
family." 

At the Academy, his intimate friend was Thomas 
Ward, — now Dr. Thomas Ward of this city, who was two 



or three years his junior ; and an endearing intimacy 
sprang up between them, lasting during Dr. Cammann's 
life. Much of the material concerning his schoolboy 
and student life was obtained from Dr. Ward. He held 
a respectable position in his class, more by his indomi- 
table industry than by his aptitude in learning ; for he 
committed to memory slowly and with difficulty. He 
showed great fondness for the natural sciences, especially 
for geology ; and his room was filled with specimens which 
he had collected in company with his young friend during 
their holiday excursions. 

In 1821, he entered Columbia College, where he was 
graduated in 1825. Of his university career we have 
no particular account, as Dr. Ward was at Princeton ; 
but we are assured that as a student he was not less 
assiduous and conscientious than in other relations. 
When he first formed the resolution of studying medi- 
cine, he was told that he was too tender-hearted to per- 
form the sterner duties of the profession ; but he replied, 
" My nerves are strong enough to carry me through 
whatever it may be my duty to undertake." He com- 
menced his medical studies in the office of Dr. Lee of 
Newark ; but his mother and family removing to New 
York in 1826, he entered the office of Dr. David Hosack, 
at that time the acknowledged head of the profession in 
this city. Dr. Cammann delighted to speak of his dis- 



. 6 

tinguished preceptor, and related many anecdotes of 
him as he appeared in the sick-room. No one was ever 
more master of the situation at the bedside, or com- 
manded more respect by his presence, than did Dr. 
Hosack ; and his acquaintance with pathological changes 
through the rational signs was really wonderful ; but 
when he approached complicated affections of the chest, 
he would shake his head and say, " There is a mass 
of disease here." To him, physical diagnosis was as 
yet a sealed book. 

Dr. Cammann also entered his name as a student in 
the Rutger's Medical College, then just opened in Duane 
Street. Here he took his degree of M. D. in 1828 ; and 
during the ensuing summer he sailed for Europe, to 
avail himself of the superior advantages which Paris 
afforded the medical student. He took up his abode in 
the Latin Quarter, devoting himself to the lectures and 
hospitals during the daytime, and to private classes in 
the evenings. He was a constant and enthusiastic at- 
tendant at the clinical lectures of Louis, who was at 
that time the great teacher of physical diagnosis. Laen- 
nec had but just passed off the stage, after publishing 
the last edition of his great work on Diseases of the 
Chest. Auscultation, as a science, was scarcely ten 
years old ; it was as yet a new revelation ; and it is no 
wonder that it excited the most intense enthusiasm in 



its youthful devotee, who had already shown marvellous 
acuteness in distinguishing and analyzing sound. 

Louis lectured at clinic in Latin, describing the phe- 
nomena of disease, and calling upon each of the students 
in attendance to make himself practically acquainted 
with the physical signs in the subject before him, and, 
in hopeless cases of advanced phthisis, marking out on 
the chest the position and extent of structural change, 
which post-mortem examinations uniformly verified. 

He was thus diligently pursuing his studies, and had 
already made great proficiency in knowledge, as well as 
in the special education of the ear, when the Revolution of 
1830 broke out. He and about forty other Americans at 
that time sojourning in Paris volunteered their services 
to Lafayette, who promised, if they were needed, to give 
them a post of honor. They were not called upon fur- 
ther ; but the students of medicine had the advantage 
of seeing a variety of gun-shot wounds in the hospitals. 

During the vacations, in company w r ith Dr. Ward, who 
was still his fellow-student and intimate friend, he made 
several tours of observation through Italy, Switzerland, 
and Great Britain ; and it was during one of these excur- 
sions that he received the injury which, in his opinion, 
damaged his heart, and was finally the cause of his 
death. For more than thirty years his consciousness of 
the serious effect of this accident remained a secret in 



8 

his bosom. It occurred in this manner : They were 
crossing the Alps on pack-mules, when, in a narrow path 
beside a precipice, another train of mules appeared. 
To pass was impossible, and the Doctor, perceiving that 
his animal was preparing to turn, jumped off to avoid 
being swung over the chasm, and was crushed against 
the rock. For a moment he suffered intensely from a 
sense of suffocation, and for several days he had pain 
and soreness in the region of the heart. He made no 
complaint at the time, but proceeded on his journey ; 
and Dr. Ward does not even remember the occurrence. 
When asked, during my first visit to him in his last 
illness, if he could account for the heart-symptoms 
which had so long annoyed him, he related this inci- 
dent, and said he knew of no other cause, having since 
then felt palpitation and dyspnoea during active exer- 
cise or when under excitement. 

In the autumn of 1830 he returned to his native city, 
placed his sign upon the basement of his mother's house 
in Bond Street, and entered upon the duties of his pro- 
fession. In 1831 he was appointed one of the attending 
physicians at the Northern Dispensary. This was before 
the classification of diseases in the Dispensary ; and each 
physician not only attended patients at the Institution, 
but visited those who were too ill to leave their own 
homes. 



In 1833 he was married to Anna Catherine, daughter 
of Mr. Jacob Lorillard, and commenced housekeeping 
in Macdougal Street. In 1835 he removed to the house 
known as the Lorillard Homestead, corner of Laight and 
Hudson Streets. About the same time, through the in- 
fluence of his friend Mrs. Bethune, he was appointed 
physician to the Bloomingdale Orphan Asylum, and per- 
formed the duties of the office for many years after- 
wards. 

It was in 1838, at the recommendation of Dr. W. 
Clay Wallace and Dr. Cammann, that the present sys- 
tem of classifying diseases and appointing special physi- 
cians to each class was adopted by the trustees of the 
Northern Dispensary. As this is an interesting fact in 
the history of the dispensaries of the city, it will not be 
out of place to give the classification and the names of 
the physicians appointed during the first two years, or 
until the system was in successful operation. 

1838. 

Surgery R. W. Cairnes, M. D. 

xj t T ( G. P. Cammann, M. D. 

Heart and Lungs. • ■ j j H Borl . owe> fa D 

tt t t 4 u i ( Alex. Elder, M. D. 

Head and Abdomen j w g^ ^ D 

« , tj, ( W. Clav Wallace, M. D. 

E - ve and Ear | W. N. Blakeman, M. D. 

Skin A.N. Gunn, M. D. 

Women and Children Edward Earle, M. D. 



10 

The next year the system went into full operation 
with two physicians to each class. 



1839. 

c f R. W. Cairnes, M. D. 

Suv Z er y JAlonzo Clark, M.D. 



Heart and Lungs. . . < J 



G. P. Cammann, M. D. 
H. Borrowe, M. D. 



tt i A iu i IW. Steele, M. D. 

Head and Abuomen j j fl McVickar, M. D. 

v ir ( W. C. Wallace, M. D. 

E >' e and Ear J W. N. Blakeman, M. D. 

™ . ( A. N. Gunn, M. D. 

^ Kin | J. W. G. Clements, M. D. 

w , n , ., , ( Edward Earle, M. D. 

W omen and Children J R ^ M D ' 

This plan gave great efficiency to the Northern Dis- 
pensary, and was in time adopted by all the others. 

Dr. Cammann's mind had been occupied with physical 
diagnosis from the commencement of his professional 
life ; and although he attended diligently to all his du- 
ties, yet his constant and favorite study continued to 
be auscultation and percussion. He was the first to in- 
troduce this new method of investigation in New York 
as a special study ; and he did it in his own quiet way 
among the circle of young physicians in which he moved. 

According to Dr. E. B. Warner, who has so long been 
attached to the Northern Dispensary, Dr. Cammann 
first conceived the idea of auscultatory percussion 



11 

while yet a student in Paris. Certain it is that it 
had early taken root in his mind, and in his professional 
experience was kept steadily in view ; for he was in the 
habit of measuring hearts by this method while attend- 
ing to his daily duties, though from his well-known 
modesty he was slow in giving publicity to his views. 
Dr. Alonzo Clark says, that, when he returned from 
Europe in 1838, he found Dr. Cammann busy with the 
subject of cardiac mensuration, and experimenting with a 
variety of stethoscopes. Dr. Cammann himself assured 
me that he had explained his method of measuring solids 
within cavities to several physicians of eminence, who 
evidently regarded it as the conceit of a visionary young 
man ; but that Dr. Clark with ready appreciation com- 
prehended the whole idea during the first hour of con- 
versation on the subject, and immediately joined him in 
making experiments and collecting materials, — a labor 
in which they were also assisted by Dr. C. L. Mitchell, 
now of Brooklyn. The result of their united efforts was 
an article in the " New York Journal of Medicine and 
Surgery," for July, 1840, entitled, " A Xew Mode of 
ascertaining the Dimensions, Form, and Condition of In- 
ternal Organs by Percussion." The paper thus appear- 
ing under the names of the two eminent co-laborers 
was from the pen of Dr. Clark, — Dr. Mitchell's services 
being acknowledged in a foot-note. It was favorably 



12 

noticed, and copied in whole or in part, by several of the 
more prominent medical journals and reviews of that 
period. The " New Mode " was accepted as a valu- 
able discovery and a real advance in medical science ; 
for though Laennec, it is said, was aware of the value 
of accurate cardiac mensuration in the living subject, 
he died without discovering any method by which it 
could be accomplished. 

As a means of diagnosis of the condition of organs 
hidden away in cavities, which, when diseased, may 
become hypertrophied or atrophied or changed in form, 
or in determining the size, shape, and connections of 
tumors or abnormal growths, this method stands alone ; 
no other approaches it in diagnostic value, either to the 
physician or surgeon. 

If Dr. Cammann had done nothing more than he has 
done in originating and maturing so valuable a contri- 
bution to the healing art, he would still have left a 
name prominent among medical discoverers. 

He next appeared before the public in 1848, in an 
article which may be found in the " New York Journal 
of Medicine," entitled " Experiments to prove that the 
Capillaries of the Lungs do not anastomose." This, 
like the former discovery, was the result of a priori 
reasoning ; the experiments demonstrating the fact were 
post hoc. The minute anatomy of the lung w r as by no 



13 

means clearly established. Malpighi, who was the first 
to prove that the blood-vessels and air-tubes do not 
communicate, and also to describe with a degree of 
accuracy the minute anatomy of the lung as " an al- 
most infinite number of orbicular and sinuous vesicles,' ' 
declares that " these vesicles communicate with the 
trachea and with each other." Willis dissented from 
the views of Malpighi : " These vesicular passages," 
he says, " have, as it were, little bladders growing 
thick upon them, and the heap of cells, therefore, 
bears a resemblance to a bunch of grapes"; which, 
" although thev touch each other and seem to cleave 
together, yet are not connected with one another, but 
are bounded by their own walls." They also differed 
in regard to their ideas of capillary anastomosis ; but 
the generally received opinion was, that it was abun- 
dant. Soemmering, Reisseisen, Magendie, and Mar- 
shall Hall have put forth conflicting theories on the 
same subject. 

Dr. Cammann's article commences by saying : " As it 
is still a question among anatomists whether the pulmo- 
nary capillaries do or do not anastomose, the following 
experiments may not be without their value." These 
experiments unquestionably prove that there is no anas- 
tomosis between the capillaries of the different lobules or 
even lobulettes. The rete mirabile of each portion of 



14 

the true respiratory system has connection with its own 
terminal artery, and with no other. Before making the 
experiments, Dr. Cammann reasoned thus : " If it be 
true, as some anatomists teach, that the anastomosis of 
the arteries is greater in the lung than in other parts 
of the body, why does not every case of haemoptysis 
prove certainly fatal ? Again : what prevents the occur- 
rence of exhausting hemorrhage where there are ab- 
scesses or excavations in the lungs, surrounded by 
perfectly healthy structure, without even the interven- 
tion of false membrane ? How can lobular pneumo- 
nia, or gangrene of the lung, be explained under that 
theory?" At the close of the article he says, "We 
have thus demonstrated how, by being composed of 
an aggregate of isolated portions, the lungs are pro- 
tected from the extension of disease ; and how, but 
for this safeguard of nature, organs so essential to ex- 
istence would be more liable to permanent injury where 
a portion of their tissue is incapable of performing its 
functions." 

During all this time Dr. Cammann had been labo- 
riously employed in clinical study and in teaching at the 
class of chest-diseases of the Northern Dispensary. He 
carefully noted each morbid sign, and during his leisure 
moments reasoned upon its significance and value in 
diagnosis. His own disease, preventing him from sleep- 



15 

ing in the latter part of the night, directed his attention 
powerfully to all the signs of cardiac affections. The 
silent hours were spent in profitable meditation on the 
derangements, organic and functional, of that monitor 
within his own breast, which constantly warned him that 
his days and nights of labor might at any moment be 
brought to a sudden close. 

The public, but more especially his intimate profes- 
sional friends, appreciated the value of his opinions, and 
he was frequently called in consultation in difficult and 
obscure cases. Dr. F. U. Johnston is said to have 
remarked of him : " There is one man whose retiring 
modesty prevents him from being known as well as he 
should be in this community, but who is really head and 
shoulders above us all in his speciality, and is, besides, 
one of our best practitioners." Dr. Johnston's well- 
known standing in the profession, with his reputation 
for discriminating judgment and clear common sense, 
gives weight to this opinion ; and I venture to say that 
a majority of those who knew Dr. Cammann will entirely 
coincide with Dr. Johnston's appreciation of him. 

It was at the Northern Dispensary that the double 
stethoscope bearing his name was perfected. In 1852, 
Dr. H. W. Brown having shown one of Marsh's patent 
double stethoscopes to Dr. Cammann, the latter observed 
that the principle was not new, for he had one in his 



16 

possession sent to him from Europe, which had one 
sound-collecting cup and two ear-cups, and was in- 
tended for two persons to hear the same sound at the 
same time ; * that he believed a really valuable instru- 
ment could be formed involving the binaural principle ; 
and as Marsh had patented his imperfect one, thereby 
debarring many from its use, it Avould be a public benefit 
to perfect an instrument and give it freely to the pro- 
fession. With the assistance of Drs. H. W. Brown and 
C. P. Tucker, after some time and at considerable 
expense, he succeeded in perfecting an instrument, 
which, by common consent, is considered the best yet 
devised for the purpose intended. Notwithstanding Dr. 
Cammann never placed his name upon the instrument 
(that was done by the maker), nor called it Cammann's 
Stethoscope, he has received more mention abroad in 
connection with the double self-adjusting stethoscope 
than from his real discoveries. He, in fact, considered 

* This I suppose to be the polystethoscope of M. Landensy of 
Paris, constructed in 1850. Dr. Leared exhibited in the World's 
Fair of 1851 a binaural stethoscope, and Dr. Williams was in the 
habit of using one in his class many years before ; but they were 
not self-adjusting, and required three hands to use them. This 
adjustment with the ear-knobs, and the arms of the metal tubes, 
a beautiful piece of mechanism which renders the binaural prin- 
ciple applicable and practical, is the work of Dr. Cammann. 



17 

the subject of comparatively slight importance, having 
pursued it chiefly as a pastime. The instrument is nev- 
ertheless a good one, and deserves some notice. It is 
intended to convey to the mind through both ears the 
same sound-impression, directing the whole attention to 
the one sensation, and producing the same effect on the 
mind by sound that the stereoscope does by light. The 
result is a clearer and more distinct idea of the object 
than is gained by a single impression. In cases of diffi- 
cult diagnosis the instrument is invaluable ; but as it 
would injure the eye to be always looking through the 
stereoscope, so also the ear loses its delicacy by the too 
frequent use of the double stethoscope. Dr. Cammann 
soon became aware of the effect of its constant use, and 
laid it aside for occasional cases only. 

In 1852, Dr. Cammann removed from Laight to 
Fourteenth Street. For several years he had been in 
the habit of spending his summers at his country-seat 
at Fordham, and of coming to town every morning to at- 
tend to his professional duties. The Demilt Dispensary 
was just organized, and he received the appointment to 
the class of chest-diseases. This gave him dispensary 
duty six days of the week ; and the labor proving too 
severe a tax upon his strength, he grew ill. With 
great reluctance he gave up his class at the Northern 
Dispensary, with which he had been connected for 
2 



18 

twenty-eight years, and was immediately elected con- 
sulting physician. 

In 1859, he gave up his residence in the city and 
removed permanently to Fordham, still coming in every 
morning to attend to his duties, and returning in the 
evening. His mother was still living in Brooklyn, and 
his filial devotion would not permit him to be far from 
her. On this account he had for many years confined 
himself to the vicinity of New York, and it was his 
habit to make her regular and frequent visits. At 
length, on the loth of April, 1862, death released her 
from the infirmities of age. This event had a sensible 
effect upon him ; it removed one of the objects of his 
watchful attention, and loosened one of the ties that 
bound him to earth. Still, he relaxed none of his ener- 
gy in the performance of his duties, and was as prompt 
at his office and at the Dispensary as ever. Yet a 
sadness weighed upon him which was noticed by his 
family. Mrs. Cammann inquired the cause, and, at 
her earnest solicitation, he admitted that he was not 
well. On the evening following this confession, upon 
returning from town, he handed her two papers, say- 
ing, " Here you have my whole heart." Extracts 
from these papers were read before the Academy of 
Medicine with the account of his last illness and post- 
mortem examination. They were evidently intended 



19 

for private consolation, but they do so much honor to 
his head as well as his heart, that I have obtained 
permission to present them. 

The first paper is dated June, 1861, and is as fol- 
lows : — 

" I have had for many years the conviction that my 
heart was damaged, from repeated oppression and pal- 
pitation under excitement. This view of my condition 
has been confirmed from the gradual increase of these 
symptoms ; and now the frequent pain and constriction 
at the heart almost equal in severity angina pectoris. 
As additional and positive evidence, I have for one 
and a half years distinctly heard, when in a recumbent 
position, an intense, prolonged diastolic murmur of high 
pitch, and for the last six months a slight systolic ; since 
a few months the diastolic has so increased in loudness, 
that I even hear it when standing, being of a buzzing 
character, and both annoying and ominous. 

" There exists, then, regurgitation through the aortic 
valves, from ossific deposits. As the murmur is very 
prolonged, the deficiency is, as yet, slight. By careful 
regulation as to exercise, excitement, and sleep, I have 
thus far prevented functional derangement. My only 
refreshing repose is in the evening, reclining in the arm- 
chair, as I am wakeful and oppressed when on the bed. 

" Having disciplined my mind to expect sudden 



20 

death, I look forward to the event without anxiety, as 
being preferable to prolonged existence with all the 
suffering of exhausting disease. The continued feel- 
ing of discomfort will explain my occasional irritability 
and quiet sadness. It is far better to be a silent suf- 
ferer than to mar the happiness of one's family by 
exciting their sympathy. I shall labor diligently to 
soothe the anguish of the unfortunate, as long as forti- 
tude and determination of purpose defy the inroads of 
disease. 4 He saved others; himself he cannot save.' 
In the spirit-world we will be taught why the mass of 
mankind restrict their aspirations to the satisfying of 
their appetites and passions, — the mystery of low am- 
bition. We possess an inner life, reserved for the few 
kindred spirits who can understand and appreciate us, 
when the immortal mind communes with its congenial 
fellow, — the only true and satisfactory enjoyment in 
life. 

" There also exists an outer life, devoted to the 
welfare of humanity. This will develop noble faculties, 
but is not in unison with our spiritual being. We are 
created for better purposes than to grovel here below. 
It requires firm resolution to perform our daily duties. 
After the excitement of the day has passed, we retire 
to our home, sick at heart, weary in spirit, and inca- 
pacitated to fulfil our domestic obligations. Our mission 



21 

on earth accomplished, we fall asleep and rest from our 
labors, with the inward joy of being at peace with our- 
selves, with the consciousness of rectitude of intention. 
I would not on any consideration endure the mental 
torture of having led an aimless life, — no, not even 
if annihilation were our certain doom. Life — Death — 
Life again. Whither do we go ? To Eternity ! " 

The second paper bears no date, but probably was 
written subsequently to the first. 

" Should I die suddenly (as is probable), organic dis- 
ease of the valves of the heart will be the cause. There 
is regurgitation through the aortic valve. I anticipate 
the result without apprehension, and have long disciplined 

my mind to view the event calmly I adore the 

Being who conceived this mysterious Universe. I sub- 
mit with awe to His wondrous power, assured that all 
must prove right, though I understand it not. 

" Other refuge have I none, 

Rests my helpless soul on Thee ; 
Overshadow'd by Thy wing, 
Let. me to Thy bosom flee. 

" I have been daily thankful for the blessings I have 
enjoyed. They have far exceeded my deserts. My wants 
have been few, my tastes simple. I am satisfied that 
my fellow-man has received benefit from my professional 
services, which have been freely rendered to those whom 



22 

misfortune has prostrated, and to whom poverty has 
added poignancy to disease. Most of my excitement 
has arisen from the miseries of life, for which I am 
thankful, as it has weaned me from the world, and 
shown me its nothingness." .... 

What a picture does this give us of this self-sacrific- 
ing, noble-hearted man ! It is sublime in its unselfish 
heroism, and affords the key to his life. From the time 
when, on that Alpine precipice, he received the injury 
that damaged his heart, he trod the narrow path of life 
beside the precipice of eternity. He never went to 
his morning labor without feeling that it might be his 
last. He never lay down upon his bed without feeling 
that he might not rise from it again. Sudden death was 
ever present to his mind, and his daily walk and conver- 
sation were in preparation for that event. Perhaps this 
is why he had no enemies ; for he never met a friend 
without thinking he might never see him again. He 
speaks of occasional irritability, but no one but himself 
ever observed it. 

Mrs. Cammann could not believe that his diagno- 
sis was correct; she thought that long and too intense 
study had rendered him nervous on the subject of 
disease of the heart, and she so expressed herself. He 
apparently coincided in her opinion, and resumed his 
usual manner. 



23 

On the 30th of January, 1863, he found himself 
seriously ill. He had recently been much engaged in 
professional duties, and the day before had passed 
several hours with damp feet. He felt chilly, and, 
upon reaching home in the afternoon, had a rigor, and 
went immediately to bed. As he seemed no better on 
the Sunday following, Mrs. Cammann called in Dr. 
Peugnet, who detected decided symptoms of pneumo- 
nia, with more or less of fever and nausea. On aus- 
cultation, the respiratory murmur was found obscured 
over the middle lobe of the right lung, accompanied 
with fine crepitant rale, but w T as distinct over the upper 
and lower lobes ; dulness on percussion was slightly 
marked over the middle lobe. There was a loud dias- 
tolic murmur, and a slight systolic one at the base of 
the heart. When his attention was called to it, he 
observed that he had had it a number of years. 

On Thursday, February 5th, Drs. Peugnet and Learn- 
ing saw him together, and found the heart laboring, and 
occasionally intermitting. There was a soft systolic 
murmur over the aortic valve, and a prolonged dias- 
tolic one of high pitch. The inflammatory symptoms 
showed no abatement for several days ; but, on the 
13th, the attending physicians reported a decided im- 
provement in both rational and physical signs : the 
patient could lie on the right side, which he could not 



24 

do before, and the paroxisms of coughing, which had 
been violent, had nearly disappeared. The following 
is extracted from a paper read before the Academy of 
Medicine immediately after his death : — 

" Saturday, February 14th, 8 J. A. M. Dr. Learning 
found him in his arm-chair ; had spent a comfortable 
night, although he had not slept much ; his cough had 
ceased to annoy him ; he spoke of his rapid improve- 
ment, and said he would not trouble the Doctor to 
come up again, unless he grew worse. 

u 9| a. M. Had eaten a hearty breakfast ; and, af- 
ter standing before the fire, he walked into his bedcham : 
ber, with Mrs. Cammann by his side, speaking pleas- 
antly of his ability to run, and lay down on the bed. 
While Mrs. Cammann was closing the blinds, he sud- 
denl/ called to her to throw open the windows, for he 
could not breathe. Dr. Peugnet was called in haste, 
and found him pulseless, gasping, heart contracting 
feebly, only a slight impulse in the carotids. He died 
calmly at 10 A. M." 

Thus passed away suddenly, but gently as he had 
lived, one of the ornaments of our profession. Hence- 
forth his name must be pronounced with those of Bard, 
of Hosack, and of Francis, • — honored and beloved phy- 
sicians, of whom New York is justly proud. 



25 

A post-mortem examination, made on Monday, Feb- 
ruary 16th, at 1 p. M., by Dr. Peugnet, at which notes 
were taken by Dr. Learning, verified substantially the 
diagnosis previously prepared by himself. 

It may be asked, What was the cause of death ? And 
we can only answer : The heart ceased to beat. Why it 
did not stop before, or why it did not continue to go on 
for years yet to come, are questions more easily asked 
than answered. Dr. Cammann has told us that he 
had for many years anticipated what finally took place. 
In cardiac disease, when sudden death occurs, it is 
always difficult to say why it should happen at that 
moment. Here was thickening of the base of the 
aortic mitral and tricuspid valves, and there was a band 
extending from the aortic to the mitral valves, — all 
appearing to have been the result of exudative inflam- 
mation and of long standing. Everywhere in this deposit 
were elevations, and in each elevation osseous substance 
was found when cut into. In one of the curtains of the 
aortic valve, this osseous matter and exudation extended 
down to the free border and rendered the valve incom- 
petent. The band of pleuritic adhesion, together with 
the appearance of exudative inflammation in the cavities 
of the heart, give weight to his opinion that his malady 
was caused by injury, especially as he never had rheu- 
matism or other inflammatory disease. It is quite cer- 



26 

tain, that, had not Dr. Cammann regulated his life in 
the most careful and methodical manner, functional 
derangements, with greater hypertrophy and probably 
dilatation, would have taken place at an earlier day. 
I have no doubt that his life was prolonged many years 
by the perfect system of living which he had adopted. 

He has told us that he had palpitation and oppression 
when in the recumbent position. Did his lying down 
that morning determine the act of death ? He was in 
good spirits, and feeling comparatively well when he 
retired to his bedchamber ; in a moment afterwards he 
called for the windows to be thrown open ; the circu- 
lation was suddenly obstructed : death commenced at 
the heart. 

Having imperfectly related the principal incidents of 
the birth, life, and death of our late Fellow, I shall at- 
tempt to characterize him in his relationship to society, 
to the profession, to the Church, and to his family. Cir- 
cumstances placed Dr. Cammann in a social circle out 
of which he scarcely ever cared to move. His modesty 
and knowledge of his disease prevented him from shar- 
ing in the gay e ties and harmless pleasures of life. He 
frequented no large assemblies, attended no late dinner- 
parties, and was not unfrequently rallied on these pecu- 
liarities. Some of his intimate friends considered them 
eccentricities, and spoke of them among themselves as 



27 

subjects of gentle mirth ; and he never undeceived them. 
Since his death these occurrences have come back to 
their minds with vivid force ; and the harmless pleas- 
antries, as they then appeared, seem now, when the cir- 
cumstances are known, little less than cruelties. He 
was plain in his dress and unostentatious in all his 
habits of life ; his sole object being to do all the good 
in his power without drawing attention to himself. 

As he loved his profession, he was jealous of its honor; 
for he believed its greatest benefits to mankind must 
come through the regular channel. He despised quack- 
ery and set his face against it in every possible way. A 
young homoeopath, who was in the habit of visiting Dr. 
Cammann's class, and receiving, as all did, instruction 
and kind attentions, ventured to ask him to see a patient 
in consultation, stating at the same time that he was a 
homoeopath. " Well, sir," was the reply, " then I can- 
not meet you." " But," said the homoeopath, " see her, 
and give an opinion to the family, even though not in con- 
sultation; for she is very anxious to see you." " No," 
said the Doctor ; " but if she will place herself under 
the care of a regular practitioner, then I will see her." 
" But," said the homoeopath, " is it not your duty to see 
her, when by so doing you may save life ? " "I will try 
to prove to you that it is not my duty," said the Doctor. 
" I believe that the prevalence of your doctrine and 



28 

practice is a great evil, and by them many lives are lost. 
Now, if I should go with you to see this young lady, 
even though not in consultation, I would give you a 
kind of recognition that may increase your opportuni- 
ties to do evil. The interests of your individual pa- 
tient are nothing in comparison with the interests of 
the community." 

His eminence as a physician was not the result of 
chance. He entered into the study and practice of his 
profession with his whole soul ; and I now claim for him, 
what he never thought of claiming for himself, that he 
was a medical genius. By patient toil and earnest 
thought, he kept himself in advance of the profession. 
In physical diagnosis, I think he never had a superior. 
His ear was so delicate, his clinical knowledge so ex- 
tended, his sterling integrity so prominent a character- 
istic, that, when he announced an opinion, it was scarcely 
possible he could be mistaken. He seemed to have no 
personal ambition ; if knowledge was gained and freely 
given to the world, he cared not who received the honor. 
He had an unconquerable aversion to appearing in pub- 
lic, or to writing, and especially to writing a formal 
treatise. We feel now that this determination was a 
misfortune, for much of his knowledge that was original 
and of priceless value is forever lost for the want of 
proper record. It was his delight, at his clinic at the 



29 

Dispensary, to unfold his ideas on particular subjects ; 
and to those gentlemen who attended he intrusted the 
keeping of those thoughts and conceptions which were 
the result of careful examination and patient reflection. 
Many, scattered over different parts of the country, will 
call to mind their unassuming teacher, and feel that to 
him they ow T e in a great degree their power to recognize 
and control many of the most insidious as well as fatal 
forms of disease. Through nearly all of his professional 
life he was a member of but one Society, — that for the 
Relief of the Widows and Orphans of Medical Men ; 
and of this he was President at the time of his death. 
During the last year, through the influence of his old 
and attached friend, our President, he became a mem- 
ber of this Academy, and commenced the preparation 
of a series of papers on practical subjects, which un- 
fortunately remain unfinished. 

He was a consistent Christian ; but his religion, like 
his charity and his opinions, was never obtruded upon 
others. Firm and sincere in his convictions, he strove 
to cultivate good-will to men, and ever found one of his 
chief sources of happiness in assuaging the sorrows 
and ministering to the physical wants of the poor and 
afflicted. He was for many years a vestryman of Trin- 
ity Church, New York, and afterwards of St. James's 
Parish in Fordham. 



30 

His relations to his family are too sacred to be the 
subject of prolonged remark. It is sufficient to say they 
were of the most happy character. He was a kind and 
attentive husband, an indulgent father, a warm and sym- 
pathetic friend. 

His loss is felt wherever he was known, and it will 
be a long time ere one can be found to fill the place 
once occupied by our late lamented Fellow. 



READ BEFORE THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 
OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE, NEW YORK. 

BY 

HENRY J. CAMMANN, A. M. 
1863. 



pEORGE PHILIP CAMMANN, M. D., was born 

^ in New York on the 1st of September. 1804. His 
parents resided in what was then known as the village of 
Greenwich, in the vicinity of what is now Charlton Street. 
The greatest part of his early life was spent in Newark, 
N. J., to which place his mother removed soon after the 
death of her husband in 1805. In his youth he was 
" of a lively, active disposition, full of mischief and 
always busy, very affectionate and of an excellent tem- 
per." He was never considered remarkably bright in 
school, but always took a high stand in his classes on 
account of his close application and retentive memory, 
seldom forgetting anything that he had once thoroughly 
learned. When seventeen years old he entered Colum- 
bia College, and passed through the full term of four 
years with much credit, graduating in 1825. He had 
exhibited from early childhood a very decided love and 
preference for that profession of which he became in 
after-life so distinguished a member ; and immediately 
upon leaving college entered the office of Dr. Lee, in 
Newark. Here he remained but a short time, and then 
attended the Lectures in the Rutger's Medical College in 
3 



u 

New York : he was at the same time a student in the 
office of the celebrated Dr. Hosack. His love for the 
profession steadily increased, and for three years he 
gave himself up to his work with the most earnest de- 
votion and untiring zeal. His highest ambition at this 
time was to prepare himself to be an able and successful 
practitioner ; and, that he might lose no opportunity for 
gaining this end, he left for France in 1828, in order 
that he might attend the hospitals in Paris. During his 
stay in that city he frequented the different medical 
schools and hospitals during the day, and spent most of 
his evenings in the lecture-room of the celebrated Louis. 
He soon became very much interested in the sciences 
of auscultation and percussion, which methods of deter- 
mining diseases were then just commencing to attract 
the notice of medical men ; and, from that time, Dr. 
Cammann never lost his interest in these subjects. 

In 1830, he returned to New York, and at once com- 
menced the practice of medicine, his office being then in 
Bond Street. In 1833, he married a daughter of Jacob 
Lorillard, and a few years afterwards moved to the vi- 
cinity of St. John's Park, where he resided for almost 
twenty years. During this time his practice continually 
increased ; and in the families which he attended he 
never failed to secure the confidence and respect of 
his patients. He was a constant attendant with his 



35 

family at St. John's Chapel, and was for many years a 
vestryman of Trinity Church. 

In 1831, he was elected Attending Physician of the 
Northern Dispensary, and, after faithfully attending to 
his duties as such for twenty-eight years, was appointed 
Consulting Physician of the same in 1859. He was 
always very much interested in the different charitable 
institutions of this city, and, besides his connections 
with the Northern Dispensary was called upon at vari- 
ous times to fill the following positions : — 

Physician to the Protestant Episcopal Orphans' Home, 
and afterwards 

Consulting Physician to the same. 

Physician to the Demilt Dispensary. 

Consulting Physician of St. Luke's Hospital. 

Manager of the Widows' and Orphans' Society of 
Medical Men. 

Vice-President and President of the same. 

Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Member of the Academy of Medicine. 

From 1850 to 1859, he resided in Fourteenth Street^ 
between the Sixth and Seventh Avenues ; then, having 
decided to live in the country, he removed to Fordham 
in West Chester County, where he continued to reside 
up to the time of his death. During this time he came 
to the city regularly every day, with the exception of 



36 

Sunday, to attend to his professional duties ; he never 
allowed anything to interfere with these, and very sel- 
dom allowed himself even a day's holiday. 

During the latter part of his life he gave up the gen- 
eral practice of medicine, and confined himself to the 
study of the diseases of the heart and lungs ; it was 
in this speciality that he reaped his highest honors. 

As a practitioner he had held a very high rank in 
the profession, but, as a consulting physician in all 
diseases of the chest, he had no equal in the city, 
probably none in the country. This high position was 
willingly acceded to him by the entire faculty ; and 
when, in the wise providence of God, he was removed 
from the scenes of his earthly labors, his sorrowing 
brethren solemnly asked of each other, " Who shall 
take his place ? " What higher tribute could they 
have paid to his memory ! 

It is a remarkable fact that he died of the very 
disease he had so long studied and investigated. In 
a letter he left his wife, written some years ago, he 
thus wrote : " I shall probably die suddenly of organic 
disease of the valves of the heart. I anticipate the 
result without apprehension, having long disciplined my 
mind to view the event calmly." This knowledge of 
his own disease he had kept to himself, preferring to 
be a silent sufferer, rather than to mar the happiness 



37 

of his family by imparting to them his apprehensions 
of his death. Thus has he left us a noble example 
of the power of mind over body. The post-mortem 
examination proved his conjectures as to his disease 
correct in every particular. For about ten days be- 
fore his death he had been confined to the house by a 
very severe cold, and was faithfully attended by Drs. 
Peugnet of Fordham, and Learning of New York. On 
the morning of the 14th of February last, his physicians 
left him apparently much better, and he told them he 
should not need their services any more, as he should 
probably be able in a few days to be at his work again ; 
but they had scarcely left the house, when a sudden 
change took place, and, in about an hour afterwards, he 
breathed his last. Death came upon him suddenly, as he 
had said it would, but it found him ready to obey the 
call; and, with scarce a shudder — without a groan — 
his spirit winged its flight to its home in Heaven. In 
his death we mourn the kind, sympathizing friend, the 
genial companion, the able adviser, the humble, consist- 
ent Christian. Medical Science has lost in him one of 
her ablest sons, — one who, by his wonderful skill and 
unwearying assiduity, has largely contributed to her 
success, her reputation, and the accomplishing of her 
benevolent aims. 

He has left behind him a wide circle of friends to 



38 

mourn his loss ; but by none will his death be more 
keenly felt than by those whose bodily sufferings are 
aggravated by the sting of poverty: the call of the 
poor never fell upon his ear unheeded, or uncared 
for. His high aim in life was, to live for others, 
not alone for self; and when he was called upon to 
administer to the sufferings of his fellow-men, he never 
stopped to ask whether the patient were rich or poor, 
high or low : it was enough that his services were 
needed ; and all alike shared the benefit of his skill 
in arresting and alleviating the inroads of disease. He 
was, in every sense of the word, " The Friend of the 
Poor." 



\ 



TEB 23 1909 



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